How Should San Antonio Spurs Manage Minutes in the Season's Final Weeks?

The regular season is drawing to a close, and the playoff race is in full swing.

While the San Antonio Spurs have already clinched a birth, their duel with the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place has taken center stage and may come down to the wire.

At the same time, the team will face the decision to rest players—something that has become common, especially among veteran teams.

Manu Ginobili will already be sidelined until the playoffs, and the Spurs should try to avoid further injuries at all costs.

Whether or not the team travels the safe route or goes all-in to obtain the top seed remains unpredictable, but given the circumstances, the Spurs should assess each player individually and re-structure his role based on the player's needs.

Note: Since Manu Ginobili will miss extended time, he will not be included.

Tim Duncan

As long as the Spurs are in the running for the No. 1 seed, the competitive atmosphere will still be very much alive—and the presence of Tim Duncan will be of the utmost importance as they attempt to secure the top spot.

At the same time, Duncan is a veteran, and at 36 years of age, he no longer can handle the wear and tear that he once was able to.

As important as it is enter the playoffs with a prime advantage, the health of your star players takes precedence—and if fans were given a choice between a higher seed or an energetic star, the majority would choose the latter.

The Spurs would be wise to slowly decrease Duncan's role, and once the team's seeding fate is secure, his rest should be maximized—assuming the team isn't punished financially.

Tony Parker

Though Tony Parker is a veteran, the title is substantiated by his time spent in the NBA—not his age. At 30, Parker is neither young nor old, though Gregg Popovich likely views him on the older end of the spectrum.

He has been the Spurs' leading man for the entirety of the season, and the play of the dark-horse MVP candidate will dictate the team's success going forward.

Like Duncan, he'll be needed to secure the top seed, but he should be used sparingly.

The explosive star is recently recovering from injury, and his health in the playoffs is the team's No. 1 priority.

Though his age will allow for his usage to remain greater than that of Duncan, he too should be used cautiously until the regular season comes to an end. 

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard, despite being one of the youngest players on the San Antonio roster, has emerged as a key offensive component and one of the team's most elite defenders. 

His offensive expertise is growing as he matures, but Leonard has already proved himself on the defensive end, should the team call on his talents to guard superstar opponents.

Should the Spurs maneuver their way through the opening rounds of the postseason, they will—if everything falls into place—meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and then the Miami Heat in the Finals. Both teams are structured around the play of their superstar small forwards—Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but the aforementioned situation reveals Leonard's value to the team.

At 21, the sophomore is fully capable of extended minutes, but once the Spurs' are content with their place in the standings, risking a freak injury would be an unwise decision.

Danny Green

Danny Green also finds himself in the lower sphere—in terms of age—but he too is among the team's most integral contributors.

As the team's starting shooting guard and one of its top wing defenders, Green is often presented with difficult defensive matchups as well as a primary role in the offense.

Many offensive sequences end with Green, as the 25-year-old North Carolina product has demonstrated incredible talents from beyond the arc. 

Despite his substantial influence come playoff time, his role shouldn't decline in the slightest going forward. 

As one of the league's streakiest shooters, Green—nicknamed "Icy Hot" for his inconsistency—can be extremely detrimental to the team's production when he is "icy."

The above situation was manifested in last year's conference final, in which Green's awful performance led to his removal from the starting lineup.

Allowing him to find his mojo before the stakes increase, giving him plenty of playing time would be a wise decision for the team, in order to ensure that the "hot" Green shows up when it needs him to.

Tiago Splitter

The 2012-13 NBA season has been a pivotal one for Tiago Splitter. The once-frustrating big man has become the team's starting center, as well as a serviceable post partner for Duncan.

He has shed his label of inconsistency and can be relied on in the post as a dependable finisher as well as an inside playmaker. His defense has improved too, as has his rebounding.

Splitter—playing in his third season with the Spurs—is a newer addition, but is already 28 years old.

Despite his age, Splitter is a proven workhorse and an integral factor in San Antonio's success.

Like Green, Splitter will need to enter the playoffs with confidence, but taking necessary precaution should also be on the team's mind, as Splitter is too valuable to risk losing.

Giving the big man a few minutes will be important, but Popovich must ensure that his playing time is monitored. 

Stephen Jackson

Stephen Jackson's playing time has seen a drop since last season, but his importance to the squad remains unchanged.

Jackson is by no means a star, but his ability to instill energy in the team from both a vocal and performance perspective should never be overlooked.

Manu Ginobili's injury will allow for Jackson to see a few more minutes of playing time, but Pop will be careful with the extent of the veteran's minutes.

Benching Jackson is unnecessary, but he should enter the playoffs fully rested. His current playing time would be sufficient going forward, but don't be surprised to see an increase once the playoffs start.

Gary Neal

Gary Neal sits in the same boat as Danny Green.

Though Neal didn't disappear against the Thunder, inconsistency remains a major issue concerning the young guard—who at times is one of the team's best scorers. In other instances, he can be a complete hazard to the rest of the squad.

Ensuring that the former holds true in the postseason, allowing him to enter with confidence will be important.

Giving him increased time as the season draws to a close would be a smart move, in order to gain consistency while also seeing how he performs while being a primary option, should the Spurs rest their stars.

The Point Guard Trio

Often throughout the season has the backup point guard question come into play.

Beginning the season, Patty Mills seemed prepared to receive the duties, but Nando de Colo's exceptional passing abilities allowed for his name to enter the conversation.

Throw in Gary Neal and the Spurs have too many backcourt options. 

Though Neal has assumed duties as a shooting guard, Popovich threw the world a curve-ball with his decision to start Cory Joseph in Parker's stead during the injury.

While I believe that Joseph's balanced skill set makes him the best candidate for the job, the difference between him, de Colo and Mills is minimal.

The choice itself isn't too significant. What is important is that Popovich establishes a hierarchy within the trio once playing time becomes readily available, as to ensure that the players know what to expect in the postseason. 

The Big Men

Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw is by no means a youngster and is a valuable asset to the team when healthy. However, resting him holds little purpose. Giving him playing time is the right decision, but doing so while making sure that he doesn't grow tired is important.

Matt Bonner

Few players in the league are more one-dimensional than Matt Bonner, but few know their role nearly as well as the Red Mamba. He's a valuable three-point shooter, but not valuable enough that the team needs to make adjustments.

If the game's verdict is unimportant, then keeping him sidelined is counterproductive, but his usage will be limited in the playoffs.

DeJuan Blair

Here is where it gets fun.

DeJuan Blair's career has seen more ups and downs than a roller coaster, and while he has finally found himself a consistent role, I'm still not sure that it's the right one. Glued to the bench, the undersized center rarely sees an abundance of playing time. 

However, the same was true last year, but Blair was thrown into action against the Thunder in what seemed to be a desperation attempt to improve on the boards.

Once playing time becomes available, Blair should be given an ample amount—in order to get him ready in case the team should need his expertise later.

Aron Baynes

The Spurs' new addition, Aron Baynes, will rarely—if at all—find himself on the court come playoff time. Still, the foreign big man is a project, and the team should give him time once the games lose meaning. Doing so will have no effect on the team's postseason run, but it would be good experience for the future.